Somatic Therapy and EMDR Therapy
Feel like you’re tied up in knots? We need to go beyond talk therapy to get free!
Our bodies need to process stressful events through breath and movement. When we do not include body awareness, movement, and conscious breathing in trauma processing we limit our ability to work with our innate healing capacities. Somatic Therapy engages body awareness as an intervention in psychotherapy and addresses the connections between the brain, the mind, and behavior. Modern day somatic psychotherapies such as Somatic Experiencing or Sensorimotor Psychotherapy are most recognized today; however, the field of somatic psychology encompasses a broad range of modalities that have evolved over time.
EMDR Therapists with training in somatic interventions have advanced tools to work with the dysregulation of the nervous system associated with post traumatic stress. Bessel Van der Kolk, premier trauma treatment researcher, endorsed both Somatic Psychology and EMDR Therapy as the best approaches for the treatment of PTSD. Upcoming trainings
“The rich history of somatic psychology contextualizes the types of interventions body-centered psychotherapists use today. This post introduces several key principles from somatic psychology as applied to EMDR Therapy.”
-Dr. Arielle Schwartz
Early Roots
Somatic psychotherapy originated in the 1930โs and 1940โs with Wilhelm Reich; a colleague of Sigmund Freud. Reich perceived that our life force energy flowed through the body as expressions of primal needs and emotions. He identified โholding patternsโ as areas of emotional tension in the body commonly held in the pelvis, abdomen, diaphragm, chest, neck, jaw, and forehead. These habitual tension patterns develop into physical symptoms such as headaches, grinding of teeth, or sluggish digestion. Reich identified that unmet needs throughout early development were the root holding patterns. His approach to releasing the bound energy ranged from body included cathartic screaming, kicking, and pushing to release the emotions and physical tension from the body.
In the 1950โs Alexander Lowen worked closely with Reich and branched off to develop Bioenergetics to resolve what he called the โbodymind conflict.โ A key component of treatment treatment involved โbody-readingโ where clinicians observed and interpret clientsโ physical, breathing, and muscular tension patterns. These patterns, called โcharacter strategies,โ were associated with core beliefs learned in early childhood. Hereโs an example:
Imagine a toddler who is asserting his independence. He is curious by nature and enjoysย testing everything and everyone. What happens when I bang on the pots and pans? What happensย when I unroll the entire roll of toilet paper? What happens when I feel scared, when I cry, or when Iย get angry? He gets scolded for being angry and praised for being a โgood boy.โ He likes the good feelings that he gets when mom and dad are happy with him. Overtime,ย he keeps looking to them to ensure he is doing things right and learns how to subdue his own internal impulses and feelings. As a young adult he lives in a dichotomy between his desire for connection and his unexpressed feelings of anger. He wrestles with a deeply held belief that he has to perform to be loved. Physically he feels disconnected from his legs and pelvis revealing a classic โsplitโ between his upper and lower portions of his body.
Classically speaking, Bioenergetics would bring clients into โstress posturesโ that place the body in long holds and sometimes uncomfortable holds to evoke vulnerable emotions and physical shaking. The ultimate goal of the work is to release the physical and emotional tension so that we feel grounded; reconnected to ourselves and the world.
Somatic Psychology Today
Somatic Psychology has evolved over time from the cathartic approaches of Reich and Lowen. These early therapeutic modalities used intense and even invasive approaches such as deep pressure massage, primal screams, and stressful positions held over time. While these therapies create rapid change theyย risk re-traumatizing the client.ย As a result, modern day somatic approaches incorporate mindfulness to facilitate somatic release in a safe, contained fashion. Todayโs somatic interventions emphasize:
- Staying Descriptive: Whereas early somatic therapists made interpretations based upon tension or posture patterns; modern day somatic therapists become curious about the somatic experience of the client. You can try this on your own by noticing your sensations. Try using descriptive words such as hot, cold, tingly, sharp, or dull.
- Deepening Awareness: Once we have become aware of sensations or a tension pattern we deepen the experience by gently amplifying the sensations. For example, we can focus our breath into the sensation, make a sound, or add movements. The key is to deepen at a pace that does not create overwhelm and honors your timing.
- Boundary Development: When we allow our somatic awareness to guide the pacing of therapy we must work in the here and now. Focusing on the present moment empowers you to stay responsive to changing needs and helps you develop clear boundaries. A boundary allows you to recognize and speak your โyesโ and your โnoโ in a way that helps you feel protected and strong.
- Self-Regulation: Modern somatic therapies integrate research from neuroscience about how we respond to stress and trauma. Such research emphasizes the importance of mindfully staying connected to the body in the midst of big emotions or sensations. When you develop awareness of body sensations you are better able to regulate (respond effectively) to emotional intensity. Ultimately this helps you stay connected and supported amidst the intensity of healing trauma.
These are just some of the many ways that somatic therapies support the release of trauma from the body and the healing of PTSD. You can learn more about Somatic Therapy interventions here.
Somatic Interventions in EMDR Therapy
According to Trauma expert, Bessel van der Kolk, Somatic Therapy and EMDR Therapy are considered the best approaches for the treatment of trauma. Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy is a comprehensive approach to therapy that integrates elements of psychodynamic, cognitive behavioral, interpersonal, experiential, and body-centered therapies to maximize treatment effects. EMDR Therapy uses a structured protocol for the treatment of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and related past experiences that trigger emotions, beliefs, sensations.
Somatic Interventions such as tracking sensations, deepening awareness, boundary awareness, and self-regulation compliment and, in my opinion, increase the efficacy of EMDR Therapy. Collectively these therapeutic modalities offer a profound healing tool for anyone facing the pain of PTSD.
Curious to learn more?
- Read more about Somatic Psychology and EMDR Therapy
- Learn more about Upcoming Trainings with Dr. Arielle Schwartz
- Joinย Dr. Schwartzย for Supervision/Consultation (group and individual sessions available)
- Discover Dr. Schwartz’s Advanced EMDR Therapy trainings at The Maiberger Institute
About Dr. Arielle Schwartz
Dr. Arielle Schwartzย is a licensed clinical psychologist, wife, and mother in Boulder, CO. She offersย trainings for therapists, maintains a private practice, and has passions for the outdoors, yoga, and writing. Dr. Schwartz is the author ofย The Complex PTSD Workbook: A Mind-Body Approach to Regaining Emotional Control and Becoming Whole. She is the developer of Resilience-Informed Therapy which applies research on trauma recovery to form a strength-based, trauma treatment model that includes Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), somatic (body-centered) psychology and time-tested relational psychotherapy.ย Likeย Dr. Arielle Schwartz on Facebook,ย follow her on Linkedinย and sign up for email updatesย to stayย up to dateย with all herย posts.
I am a like-minded colleague that has integrated body-based therapies with EMDR. Dr. Christina Campbell LP, CNS, RN.